Education

To enable our students to effectively compete in this changing world, and ultimately improve our economic and national security, America must establish and maintain the highest educational standards. Congressman Space is committed to ensuring that every American is guaranteed a quality education at all levels.

A quality education starts early. Kids who participate in quality pre-K programs are more prepared for elementary school and perform better in later grades. Programs like Head Start offer young children from working families the opportunity to start on a level playing field and enjoy the same opportunities to a pre-K education. Out of concern for challenges rural Head Start programs face, Congressman Space introduced an amendment to the legislation reauthorizing Head Start, drawing the attention of the Department of Education to these unique challenges when allocating funds. The text of that amendment was passed into law.

Congressman Space believes strongly in the importance of accountability in our nation’s education system. Testing provisions included in the landmark No Child Left Behind law allow our nation to track the progress of our students, and provide support where it is most needed.

However, No Child Left Behind can and should be improved. The law’s overemphasis on testing forces many teachers to teach to the test, eliminating aspects of school curricula that encourage creative thinking and innovation. Furthermore, the punitive damages prescribed to schools falling short of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) only hurt those schools already in need of assistance. Rural schools already struggling to attract and retain teachers often feel this pinch the most.

Additionally, the federal government has fallen short on its obligations by failing to fully fund No Child Left Behind. In the 2005-2006 school year alone, the President's budget was more than $9 billion below what was supposed to be provided to states and local school districts. Congressman Space believes that such underfunding is unfair to state and local school districts and is, most importantly, detrimental to our students.

After hearing from teachers, principles, and school administrators around his district, Congressman Space sent a list of recommendations to the House Committee on Education and Labor outlining needed changes to the No Child Left Behind Act. These changes would make our nation’s system of education stronger by improving how we evaluate our schools, and ending unnecessary punishment for struggling schools.

Critical to revitalizing the economy of Appalachian Ohio is developing a skilled workforce prepared to participate in a new economy. As the economic importance of changing technology continues to grow, so too does our need to make sure Ohioans are prepared to use it.

Unfortunately, the high cost of a college education is often a barrier to working families. According to studies from the Department of Education, financial barriers will prevent 4.4 million high school graduates from attending a four-year public college over the next decade and another 2 million from attending any college at all. That's why he's working to make sure that all Americans can afford higher education. Congressman Space voted for HR 2669, the College Cost Reduction Act. This critical legislation raised the maximum value of Pell Grants, cut interest rates in half for subsidized student loans, and created a system of grants for students willing to enter teaching professions in underserved areas. Once the lower interest rates are fully phased in, these reductions will save the typical borrower ($13,800 in need-based federal student loan debt) approximately $4,400 over the life of the loan. 

America’s rural areas face additional challenges in bridging the transition from high school to college. With vast distances limiting options for education, there is a critical need to take advantage of our rural institutions of higher education.

Congressman Space introduced legislation that passed the House that would help to increase the number of rural high school graduates attending college, as well as their opportunities after graduation. The College and Universities Rural Education (CURE) Act would authorize grants to rural colleges for:

• Developing partnerships with rural school districts to improve access for rural high school graduates to those institutions
• Developing partnerships with regional employers to create employment pipelines in needed professions
• Creating new training programs for professions needed for the region.